Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar, April 2: Like any other kid of her age, she is bubbly, vivacious and always prancing around. But put her in front of a chess board and one can see the transformation that nine-year-old Miracle Panda goes through – her face turns all serious. A Miracle in chess on the offing – that is all one can say.
Miracle took to chess like a duck takes to water. She learned the nuances watching dad Suresh and mom Gita play the game of 64 squares. And she did learn quickly. At five she was playing and at six years she started playing in competitions.
Currently Miracle has an ELO rating of 1233 points – quite satisfactory considering her age. But mother Gita thinks she could have done better. “She should have been somewhere around the 1,500 mark,” Gita pointed out. “However, her father was transferred to Bihar and we could not give much time to her. So, her game suffered.”
As her mother talked, Miracle could not but help speak about the other things she likes to do. “I love dancing,” she stated with an unbridled smile lighting up her dimpled cheeks. “I enjoy all types of dances including Odissi and modern.”
Miracle’s coach Priyabrat Samant Singh has huge expectations from Miracle. “She is very talented… but then like any kid of her age she is fickle-minded and at times restless. This leads to wrong moves in competitive matches and her performances suffer,” stated Priyabrat. “But hopefully all that will disappear as she matures.”
Miracle won the U-6 title at the All Orissa Chess Championships here in 2013. She finished 10th in the nationals, the same year. Now she is gearing up for the U-9 National Chess Championships at Ahmedabad, June 11-19. She is focused for the selection trials here April 3-5. “This time I will aim for a podium finish in Ahmedabad,” stated Miracle. Her sing-song voice could not hide the steely determination with which she spoke.
A class-IV student of DAV, Chandrasekharpur the Shah Rukh Khan fan practices for two hours a day. “But that is not enough. The competition is increasing and with her father staying in Bihar it is becoming difficult to support her,” stated Gita. “But we want Miracle to continue with the sport and are ready to sacrifice anything to give her support.”
